„Myślę sobie przyjemnie o wierszach” Poetyckie fascynacje Marii Wiercińskiej
“Thinking Pleasant Thoughts about Poems”: Maria Wiercińska’s Poetic Fascinations

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses Maria Wiercińska’s activity as a poet and reciter in 1934–1939. In the pre-war period, selected for analysis, the theatre actress and director tried her hand at poetry. Five poems have been preserved in the Theatre Museum in Warsaw; they have not been analysed or published to date. The article comprises two parts. The first one presents the subject matter and composition of Wiercińska’s poems, demonstrating that she referred to the Young Poland tradition and addressed themes important for Polish poetry of the interwar period. The second part of the article discusses Wiercińska’s recitation programs, based on her notebook listing her reci- tation concerts in 1934–1954. To date, these concerts have not been analysed. During the period under study, Wiercińska produced 114 poetry programmes (performed live or radio recorded). The analysis of the archive material shows that Wiercińska recited works by more than a hundred authors, mainly Polish poets from the interwar period. Her aim was to promote contemporary poetry among both the intelligentsiaand labourers, to educate adults, youth, and children. The article uses the method of critical source interpretation, including contextual analysis.

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